Leonardo opens new academy training facility in Lincoln UK

Leonardo opened a new Leonardo Academy in Lincoln, U.K. that will educate Cyber and Electromagnetic Activities (CEMA) technical specialists within the U.K. Ministry of Defense (MoD). In addition to UK Forces, the Leonardo Academy is also under contract to host delegates from international allies including Brazil and South Korea; in fact, about 70 percent of training delivered is expected to be to international customers.

Leonardo says it has invested more than £2 million in the new Lincoln facility and is responding to the growing market demand for training in the skills needed to operate in today’s electronics-driven battlespace. The new facility more than triples the company’s training capacity in Lincoln to allow 150 students to train at the same time.

Leonardo has had a base in Lincoln since 2009, training and supporting UK Armed Forces based at the Air Warfare Centre at Royal Air Force Waddington and visiting delegates from allied nations. Training at the new Leonardo Academy facility will initially be an extension of existing activities, focusing on “electronic warfare” – the term that describes when parts of the invisible electro-magnetic spectrum, such as radio waves, are used in combat. For example, the Academy will train UK MoD personnel to protect platforms against the high-tech threat radar systems they may face in operational theatres such as Syria. The academy will deliver a range of domain knowledge modules that provides users with a structured course from overview to expert across the CEMA environment, some of which will form part of a Masters of Science (MSc) program.